Baggage car door hanger and operating mechanism



Oct. ll, 1938. E. A. ZETMEIR 2132817 I BAGGAGE CAR DOOR HANGER AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Au 27, 1937 3 Shets-Sheet l g w d,

BAGGAGE CAR DOOR HANGER AND QPERATING MECHANISM E. A. ZETMEIR Oct. ll, 1938.

Filed Aug. 27, 937` 5 Sh ts-Sheet 2 E. A. ZETMEIR 2,132,8l7 BAGGAGE CAR DOOR HANGER AND OPERATING MECHANISM Oct. 11, 1938.

Filed Aug. 27, 1937 5 sh e'cs-sheet` Infe n c &yaaa;

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Patented Oct. 11, 1938 g UNITED STAT ES PATENT i 2,3z,8'z

CAR 'noon HANGER. AND oran- ATING MECHANISM 4 V p BAGGAGE Emil A. Zetmeir, Topeka, Kan&

Application August 27, 1937, 'serial No. 6,`2s k l v i .4'cams. (c. 16-99) p I v Figure 7 is ans'ectional view of the lower end My invention relates to means-whereby the V i doors of railroad baggage c ars are slidably* suspended in place, with mechanism for Operating the same, whereby the doors will be forced into weather-proof relation with the' car' wall or door frame and also whereby the doors may be locked in closed position or in open position as well as in partly open position;

The invention has for its object the provision of means applicable'to doors of the conventional sliding type, which is simple in-construction, positive in operation and adaptedto' withstand the more or less severe usage encountered in doors of this nature.` v

The invention' involves meanswhereby when the door is opened it is automatically shifted out of contact with the weather-scaling means so as to relieve the weather-sealing elements at the top, sides and bottom of the door from rrictional rubbing contact and reversely the means 'will move the door downwardly and laterally toward the' sealing elements and hence into weathersealing condition' during the door closing operation. i

The invention also contemplates means whereby the` door will be flrmly held ineomplete or partly open position to ensure' safety for the trainmen or baggage men against the' unexpected or accidental shifting of the door.

` The above enumerated objects'and the advantages inherent in theinvention will all be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawings, whereinz- Figure 1 is an inside elevation of a baggage car door provided with my invention, intermediate portions of the door' being broken away and only a fragmentary portion ofthedoor !rame or car wall shown.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the upper 40 end of the door with the side cover plate removed, showing the door closed and the mechanism indoor lowering position. Figure 3 is a similar view illustrating the door partly open and the mechanism in position to hold thedoor open. V

Figure 4- is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the off-set line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the'arrows.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view' onthe ofiset line 5-5 of Figure 2, looking in the, direction of the arrows. i

Figure 6 is'a perspective view of a 'portion ot the lower end of the door, looking upwardly at the bottom` edge.

of thesdoor and ot a threshold element.

Figure 8 is a perspectiveview of one` end of the track with one of the door wedging elements.

Figure 9 is a detail perspective View of another end of the door. I

My invention relates to hanger and Operating "O FICE 'door wedging' element employed at the opposite a portion of such door being indicated at '20 in Figure 1 wherein the intermediate portion of the door is broken away in order to disclose both the upper and lower endsthereof. i

The upper: end of the door is *provided .with a bracket ZI preferably in the nature of 'an angularly formed plate disposed 'lengthwise of the top'of the 'door and secured thereto so asto extend above the'door and provide a roller carrying a housing open at the side disposed toward the car wall 22.

The car wall above the 'door opening and extending lengthwise thereof and somewhat beyond the rear end of the door opening 'is provided with a track forming member'23 disclosed in the nature of an L-shape plate having an upstanding'flange 24 extending throughout the length of the plate to constitute a guide or runway for the flanged rollers 25. The roller (of which any suitable number may be employed depending upon the size of the door-three being shown in the exemplica'tiom' is`rotatably mounted in a pendently supported roller carrying hanger '26 which in turn is pivotally mounted by means of a bolt 21 in` the upper end of the housing 2 l i The roller carrying hanger z'isarranged between the bifurcations of a'yoke orclevis 29 (see Figure 4) which in turn is pivotally connected to a connecting rod or bar 30 whose opposite end is pivotally secured to a double clevis 3| which controls a roller carrying bracket or hanger 32 (similar to hanger 26), see Figures 2 and 4. The opposite end of the clevis 3l has a connecting bar or` rod 33` pivotally connected thereto andths rod 33 in 'turn is 'secured ,to a clevis 34 (similar to clevis 29) arranged adjacent the rear end of the door. This clevis 34 controls the roller bracket or hanger 35. The brackets 32 and 35 are similar to hanger or bracket 26 and all are shown pivotally mounted on thevupper portion of door hanger ZI in a similar manner, as for example by means of the blocks 28, see Figure 2.

hearing The flanged rollers 25 are adapted to ride along the upstanding flange 24 of the trackforming member 23; and the roller carrying brackets 26, 32 and 35 are mounted to swing or move through vertically disposed arcs for purposes hereinafter described; the bracket or hanger 26 being Suspended by means of the bolt 21; the bracket or hanger 32 being pivotalLv supported by a bolt 31., while the bracket or hanger 35 is pivotally Suspended by means of bolt 38; the bolts 31 and 36, like bolt 21, being held in place by the bearing blocks 20,'which in turn are secured to the overhead portion of the housing member 2l.

The rollers 25 are joumalled in the respective hangers 26, 32 and 35 by means of 'suitable bolts as at 39, see Figure 5, and these bolts pass through the respective hangers and through suitable arcuate slots 40 in the side wall of the housing element, see Figure 1. The flanged rollers 25 are preferably provided with roller or ball bearings as at 4l, see Figures 2 and 5, to ensure easy operation.

The slots 40 in the housing element 2l are made arcuate as shown in Figure l, to permit the respective bolts and the roller-carrying brackets or hangers 26, 32 and 35 to swing or move through vertical arcs and permit the rollers to assume different positions relative to the bracket supporting bolts 21, 31 and 30.

The bracket supporting bolt 21, at what may be termed the front end of the door, extends through the side of the housing element 2l sufnciently to provide pivotal support for a hand lever 42 shown in Figures 1, 4 and partially in Figure 5. The lever depends from bolt 21 on the inside of the door rearward of a sector plate 43 secured on the inside of the door as shown in Figure 1. The lower arcuate edge of the sector plate 43 is provided with a predetermined number and arrangement of notches 44 to receive a spring-controlled latch pin 45 which is slidably secured to lever 42 by means of the housing 46 (in which a suitable spring, no't shown, is also mounted) and controlled by the trigger 41 pivotally secured. to lever 42 so that pressure on trigger 41 will cause the springcontrolled latch pin 45 to be withdrawn from a notch 44 in the sector plate and allow lever 42 to be swung about its pivot 21.

Lever 42, at a suitable point below its pivotal point 21, recelves the journal bolt 39 of the roller 25 at the front end of the door as shown in Figure 5; the bolt 39 extending through the correlated arcuate slot 40 in the housing wall 2l.

The distance between the pivot pins or bolts 21, 31 and 36 and the perimeters of rollers 25 is somewhat greater than the distance between the pivot pins or bolts 21, 31 and 33 and the track flange 24, thus necessitating the roller carrying hangers 26, 32 and 35 tobe mounted at an inclination relative to the vertical plane of their pivot points 21, 31 and 38 so that the lower roller carrying ends are disposed toward the for ward end of the door, as clearly shown in Figure 2. When the rollers are in the position shown in this figure, the door 20 will be lowered into contact with a threshold rail or member '48 shown in cross section in Figure '1, and later described.

The mechanism as illustrated in Figure 1 namely with the hand lever 42 swung to its extreme left position-shows the door in complete closed position and with the spring controlled latch-pin 45 in register with the notchto the left in the sector plate 43, which looks the door in closed position.

Upon releasing latch-pin 45, hand lever 42 may be swung toward the right. This causes the roller carrying journal 39 to ride downwardly in the horizontally disposed arcuate slot 40 and toward the vertical plane of the pivot point 21 of the lever. such movement, also causes the roller carrying bracket or hanger 26 to swing somewhat toward the vertical plane and induce a pressing action of the roller 25 on the trackway 24, which forces the door' 20 upwardly out of close bearing relation with the threshold rail 46 and moves the weather strip 49, which is secured to the bottom of the door, out of frietional contact with the threshold and allows the door to slide freely into open position.

As the roller carrying brackets 26, 32 and 35 are connected together by means of the con necting links or bars 30 and 33 and as each roller journal or bolt extends through a similar arcuate slot 40 (see Figure 1), it is apparent that each roller carrier or bracket is correspondingly oscillated and consequently the' entire door is raised to a similar extent throughout its length and its sliding movement readily accon- -plished.

In operation, the operator, having shifted lever 42 as mentioned, releases the trigger in order that the lever may be locked in that position and the lever 42 may be then also used for pulling the door to either open or closed position.

Swinging lever 42 further to the right in Figure 1 not only raises the door with its weatherstrip oil' the threshold 48, but causes the top edge of the door to be brought into close or impinging relation with the bottom of the track rail 23. The upper edge of the door 20 is preferably provided with a yielding strip of rubber or other suitable material as shown at 50 in Figure 5. This'provides a suitable frictional relation between the top of the door and the lower face of the track element so that movement of the door in. either direction is impossible; this relation between the door and the track element being maintained by looking lever 42 in the shifted position, which is obtained by releasing the latch lever 41 and permitting latch pin 45 to enter the notch at the right end of the sector plate, as viewed in Figure 1. The raised and partly open position of the door is shown in Figure 3.

In doors of the character mentioned, it is essential to provide a weather proof condition between the door and the frame of the door opening as well as between the door and the thresh- ,old or floor of the car.

As previously stated and as shown in Figure 7, the car floor at the door opening is provided with a suitable strip 40 having a longitudinal upstanding rib, somewhat of inverted U-shape cross-section except that the side disposed toward the car exterior is made to slope downwardly outward while the side of the inverted V-shape rib disposed toward the car interier is preferably substantially straight, as shown in Figure 7. This strip extends throughout the door opening and is securely fastened to the car-floor and also constitutes a guide rail for the door. The bottom of the door 20 is grooved correspondingly and the door preferably is provided with a reenforcing plate 5! having flange portionsconforming with the groove as shown at 52, see Figures 6 and 7, in order to prevent wear of the groove in the wood door; the bottom outer edge' of the door beyond the groove is shown provided with the weather or rubber strip 49, seeFigures `6and 7.

ure 1 and the roller carrying brackets 26,'32 and 35 have 'been' 'moved away fromthe vertical planes of their pivotal points, at which time the threshold element will be entirelyseated in the door groove and the'rubber strip 49 will be `compressed on' the outer fiange of the threshold element as shown in Figure 7.'

` In order to obtain a weather proof condition about the top and sidesof the door when closed,

the car wall or door frame about the ,door opening is providedwith rubber stripping, or other suitable weatherstripping, secured at ptheiforward and at the rear sidesof the` opening as well Siti jas at the top, as shown at 53, with therubber,

`or other fabric disposed toward the `door.'

A firm relation between the door when closed and the rubber or' weather stripping 53`is induced by means now to be described.

The track forming flange 24, adjacent the forward end of ,the door opening, is provided on its inner vertical face with a wedge block 54, see Figure 8, arranged in the path of the roller 25 at the forward end of the door; the tapered end of the wedge being disposedin the path of the on-coming roller when the door is slid to closed position and the large end of the wedge 54 extends slightly beyondthe' final travel of the' .for.-

tward roller 25 as .indicatedin dotted lines in Figure 2. The grooves in the rollers are comparatively wide as shown in Figures 4 and 5, thus permitting suflicient lateral play on the trackflange 24 to enable the forward roller to also straddle the wedge-block 54.

The connecting link or bar 33 forward of its connection with clevis 34 of the rear roller is shown provided with an angular block 55, provided with a horizontally disposed finger 56, shown in detail in Figure 9. The' flnger 56 is disposed horizontally toward the forward nd of the door and provided with a slight taper or lateral inolination, as shown in Figure 4. The vertical wall of the track-forming element 23, at a prearranged point, is provided with a hook member 51 arranged in the path of the forwardly disposed finger 56 of block 55; the`hook-forming member 51 and the fingerblock 55 being so arranged, relative to the closed position of the door, that the tapered side finger 56 will be in engagement with hook 51, as shown in Figure 4. With the wedge block 54 heretofore described and the engaging elements 56, 51, it is evident that when the door is moved to closed position, where theforward roller has straddled wedge block 54 and the tapered finger 56 has engaged hook 51, that the upper end of the door will be drawn or forced outwardly and hence into snug relation with the rubber or weather-stripping 53 secured to the door-frame about the forward and rearward ends of the door as well as at the top of the door opening and thereby provide a weather sealing condition. At this time the door also will be lowered and its weather' strip 49 brought into firm contact' with the carfloor or the threshold strip 46 and a weather proof condition at the bottom of, the door also effected. e

When the door has beenmoved to complete closed position, lever' 42 will be in the extreme left hand position, shown in Figure 1, with the connected roller carryingbrackets 26, 32 and 35 oscillated to the left as shown in Figure 2. This ,condition of the door'will be maintained by releasing trigger 41 to allow its latch pin 45 to enter 'the notch at thelefthand end of the sector 4 plate 43.

If itis desired to partlyopen the door, hand erator to release pin 45 from sector plate 43 and lever 42 moved slightly toward the right, thus lever 42 and trigger '41 aregrasped by the. op-

causing the door to be raised out offrictional contact 'with weather-strip 49,--the forward 'roller to bemoved out of contact with wedge block 54and finger 56 out of contact with hook 51, thereby releasing the door and suspending its weighton the-rollers which will allow the door to be freely moved to open position. Ifit is desired to hold thedoor in open position, the operator willoscillate lever 4 further to the right so that the rollersswin farthertoward the vertical planes f of the axes of the roller carrying brackets, thereby for'cing the top of the door with its rubber or other fabric strip into close .binding contact with the'bottom of the trackforming element, which causes the door to be frictionally locked in open' position.

The doorsupporting element or plate 2| on its top at points coincident `with-the pivot bolts 21, 31 and 38 of the roller carrying brackets and at the ends of journals 39 arepreferably provided with means for lubricatingthe journalsand pivots, V the means u being indicated `at 56 'and of the type requiring the useofa grease gun for forcing the lubricant through the valved cups or nipples 58 which screw through holes in the top of plate 2| and into the ports arranged in journals 39; the ports 59 in "the journals communicate with the anti-friction bearings `disposed about the journals, as shown in Figure 5.

In certain instancesit may be found suflicient merely to employ two roller carrying brackets, namely one adjacent the forward end and the other adjacent the rear end of the door. In such cases, the intermediate roller carrying bracket 32 is ornitted as well as the double clevis 3| and the connecting link or bar 30 then made longer and pivotally connected to the rear bracket.

I have disclosed what is believed to be the best embodiment of the invention which has been described in terms employed for purposes of description and not as terms of limitation, as modifications may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. Baggage car door hanger and Operating mechanism comprising, in combination with a track above the door opening; means secured to the top of the door so as to overhang the track and provided with arcuate slots, a plurality of brackets pendently secured at their upper ends to the inner side of said means so as to move about horizontally disposed axes and having rollers journaled in their lower ends and said rollers arranged on said track, the journal of at least one of the rollers being disposed through one of said arcuate slots; means whereby all of said brackets are operatively secured together and made to move in unison; an Operating lever pivotally mounted at its upper end to said first mentioned means in a plane above one of the arcuate slots with the extended roller journal secured to the lever beneath its pivotal point, said lever being adapted to move throughan arc of a vertically disposed circle whereby the brackets are oscillated through a similar arc and the door `raised from the car floor when the lever is moved in one direction and the door lowered to the car floor when the lever is moved in the opposite direction; and means whereby the lever may be locked in its adjusted positions.

2. Baggage car door hanger and Operating mechanism comprising, in combination with a track above the door opening; a 'housing secured to the upper end of the door to overhang the track and provided with arcuate slots in its side; a plurality of roller carrying brackets pendently secured at their upper ends in the housing above the track so as to permit the brackets to Swing toward and away from the vertical planes of their pivot points, with the roller carrying pins of the brackets disposed through said arcuate slots; a lever pivotally secured at its upper end to the side of said housing and operatively connected intermediate of its ends to one of said roller-carrying pins so that oscillation of the lever will induce similar movement of the bracket and the door moved vertically; connecting bars `pivotally connected to said brackets whereby the latter are made to move in unison; resilient means arranged on the upper and lower edges of the door whereby the door when raised is frictionally held at top in its' opened position and frictionally held at bottom when lowered in closed position.`

3. Baggage car door hanger and Operating mechanism comprising, in combination with a track secured to the car above the door opening; supporting means secured to the upper end of the door and extending upwardly above the track and provided with arcuate Slots; a plurality of brackets pivotally secured to said means and arranged above the track, each bracket having a roller journaled in its lower end, with the roller arranged on the track, while the journal of each roller ends through a slot in said supporting means; a lever pivotally secured at its upper end to said supporting means and operatively secured to one of the roller journals, whereby oscillation of the lever will cause the brackets with the rollers to move toward or away from the vertical planes of the bracket pivots and thereby increase or decrease the distance between the bracket pivots and the track and cause the door to be lifted from or lowered to the car floor and the top of the door forced into frictional holding relation with the bottom of the track when the door is lifted; and means for looking the lever in its adjusted positions.

p 4. Baggage car door hanger and Operating mechanism comprising, in combination with a track abovethe door opening; a wedge member secured to one wall of the track member adjacent one end of 'the door-opening; a housing secured tothe upper end of the door to overhang the track; aplurality of roller carrying brackets movably mounted at their upper ends to the upper wall of the housing; means whereby the brackets are operatively secured together; a wedge member carried by said means adapted to cooperate with the first mentioned dwedge member whereby the upper end of the door is drawn against the car wall when the door is moved to closed position; and a lever pivotally secured at its upper end to the side of said housing and operatively connected intermediate of its ends to one of said brackets whereby the brackets, through the medium of said first means, are moved toward and away from the vertical plane of the pivotal points of the brackets and the door raised out of frictional relation at the bottom.

` EMIL A. ZETMEIR. 

